PrintEd Levine's Serious Diet, Week 4: The Gauntlet
I have to say I'm not looking forward to getting on the scale this morning. If you noticed up top I subtitled this post "The Gauntlet." This past week was a very difficult one to sustain my diet. Why? Let me count the ways:
I tend to celebrate my birthday as a multiple-day affair, and this year my wife and I embarked on a three-day Woodstock-like celebration. What did we do?
Good friends treated us to dinner at Babbo. As a show of respect the kitchen at Babbo sent out seven desserts for us to try. Gina DePalma's (our newly ensconced Rome correspondent) desserts are amazing, but oh so tempting.
On Saturday some friends came over for dinner. I cooked a gorgeous pork roast on a rack with roasted vegetables and potatoes underneath to catch all the pork drippings. As an appetizer I tested a nacho recipe for the Super Bowl. For dessert my wife made the chocolate cake Dorie Greenspan posted about last week, accompanied by phenomenal vanilla and coffee ice creams from Grom.
And we haven't even gotten to my actual birthday yet.
On Sunday, my actual birthday, we went to a terrific restaurant in my neighborhood, Ouest, with my brother and his wife and my cousin. I ordered very lightly and took half of my pork entrée home.
I taped a video restaurant review of Alto, a terrific upscale New York Italian restaurant. I try to take one bite of each dish for the camera, but the producer is always asking me for "more food to face shots, please."
I went to a party at Bar Boulud celebrating the relaunch of the very handsome, elegant Gourmet.com. Since I had already tried all of the restaurant's phenomenal charcuterie, I managed to avoid eating any of it this time around. There was lots of other food to try, including a truly delicious fish and chips .
I know it's churlish, even ridiculous, to be complaining about all the amazing food I am tempted by on a regular basis, but it does make it extraordinarily hard to lose weight. And I do face the health problems all people struggling with their weight do.
All right, it's time to get on the scale. I'm going to be happy staying the same this week. I did it! I stayed even. I guess it's better than gaining. Next week will be better, I hope. How did everyone else do?
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15 Comments:
I've gained sad to say. I've maintained the diet and exercise to a T, so I'm hoping it's "water weight."
souldawg at 10:06AM on 01/31/08
Way to go, Ed! You managed to break even after what was obviously a very tough week! Now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast. :-)
And happy birthday from a fellow Aquarian! We must all have the birthday bug, as I also celebrate the week/month...just as it should be! We are here to be worshipped, no? heehee
Curlz at 10:30AM on 01/31/08
Hooray for staying the same! You can't lose every week, after all. Were you able to stay very active?
I had a veggie-full week, thanks to the veg stew and couscous recipe I tried out of 12 Kitchens--it's lasting awhile, and I have a high tolerance for leftovers. Plus ... it's friggin tasty! I hurt my back last weekend, though, so attempts at exercise have been pitiful at best. =(
OneWallKitchen at 10:57AM on 01/31/08
congrats Ed! staying even is quite an accomplishment after a major holiday! You should be very proud!
huney_bumper at 11:13AM on 01/31/08
Great job Ed!
It's been my bday week as well--dinner at Wolfgang's, Cafe Cluny, Cafe Sabarsky..
Exercise has been key--I'm losing weight. That hamburger at Stand last night probably didn't help... I often have the same feeling about food. New York is a great place to eat, and I want to take advantage while I can.. at the same time, I've made a commitment to getting up to go to the gym after work. And I *hate* the gym. I'd rather do sports for fitness..
Just do it? Sure. It's better than teevee or surfing, right? I guess once you get over the initial hump, it's not so bad..
dbdtron at 11:14AM on 01/31/08
Ed, as promised, I would weigh in this morning with you and post my numbers here in the interest of serious eats science. Over time, we will see I guess what if any progress I make.
Jan 31 2008 AM weigh in: 177.5 / 24%
I didn't post my numbers last week, but I can say that they have remained flat. The way I ate this week, this could be considered a victory. I have been working out a lot more, so maybe that was a good offest for what I ate last week. Here are some highlights:
- pear pie
- roast chicken with pancetta skin
- a seven course meal with wine at Ideas in Food chefs Aki & Alex's house
- BBQ from Rack N' Soul: 1/4 rack of ribs, 3 fried chicken wings, mac n cheese, collard greens
- Mexican from Media Noche: dark chicken in red mole, beans and rice
- dinner at Picnic: shrimp and lobster timbale, filet of beef with foie gras sauce, mashed potatoes and string beans.
I did have had some lighter meals, such as pan roasted arctic char fillets with the Dinner Tonight's white beans and leeks, some omelets and lots of salads.
Things are not looking better this coming week though. I am going out to dinner tonight with the sous chef from Picnic, going to Hartford on Saturday to visit my grandmother which always entails lunch at the First and Last Tavern, hosting a dinner party on saturday night, and then working in the kitchen at Picnic on Sunday night, which always means some kind of eating, usually non stop snacking on things like Spätzle, cassoulet beans, duck breasts, lemon curd tarts and chocolate fondant. I better keep drinking water and hitting that gym hard.
seyo at 11:19AM on 01/31/08
Good work, Ed. Staying the same during a holiday week is a total success. Think about what might have happened if you weren't being careful about your consumption!
For the record, I had a bad week a few weeks back, and am now back to a stable place. I've stopped gaining, and am going to work hard to lose a few, too.
Kerosena at 12:05PM on 01/31/08
Ed - we're all pulling for you! You have more will power than I could ever muster in your circumstance!
BTW - Love your birthday celebration style. It's my wife's birthday this weekend and we're heading to Le Bernardin for lunch tomorrow, Rose Water for dinner Sat night, Stone Park for brunch on Sunday and Jean-Georges for lunch on Monday.
Thanks for being my food muse!
Livetotravel at 12:32PM on 01/31/08
Yay Ed! Great job while facing a difficult week.
I managed to get through a Blue Smoke RW dinner (it was really good - I had a salad with roasted beets and candied pecans and some apple braised chicken with sauteed mushrooms and collard greens. Managed to take half home for lunch the next day, and only ate half of the yummy "rustic" apple pie.)
I was down 1.6 for a total weight loss so far of 7.8. Hooray!
selizara at 12:57PM on 01/31/08
You did an amazing job this past week...food-wise & social-wise! We're rootin' for ya!
JEP at 6:02PM on 01/31/08
Could be worse. I had a big shovel-in at a party on Saturday, but by budgeting points (Weight Watchers) managed to stay on target for the week.
Weight was down 2.5 lbs (5.5 total)
daveinfred at 6:03PM on 01/31/08
Props to everyone for keepin on keepin on. I'm impressed with the collective effort and will of our crowd. I'm hoping next week will be easier. Super Bowl Sunday might prove problemmatic. I ordered David Chang's Bo Ssam feast of pork shoulder, chicken wings, cole slaw, and homemade cracker jacks.
Ed Levine at 6:07PM on 01/31/08
Ed, I like you faced these challenges last year and as a chef it has not been easy. I have however been able to loose 70 pounds in a year. First, I cut all sugar and as many carbs as possible. Second and most importantly, I wake up 3 hours earlier 5 days a week and work out at the gym. No one can believe I'm doing it ( at 50) . I feel so much better and find that now I still taste everything,just not by the plateful! I'm pulling for you.
gwcafe at 6:08PM on 01/31/08
i didn't weigh myself this week, so i have nothing to report. my weight fluctuates so much that it often does more harm than good to hop on the scale. but i worked out quite a lot this week and ate an enormous quantity of vegetables, so i'm feeling pretty good about myself.
if you can at all add running to your workout, especially interval training, you'll see a big difference right away.
cybercita at 10:48PM on 01/31/08
Way to go, Ed! Keep up with the exercise.
from Coach B in Woodstock, VT
Barbara Hummel at 12:27PM on 02/03/08